Portland, OR – The Signatory Painting Contractors Organization (SPCO) received the Governor’s Occupational Safety & Health Award for an Association. This award recognizes the organization’s activities that promote workplace safety and contribute to the prevention of workplace injury and illness.

The SPCO maintains a joint Safety Committee comprised of both management and labor representatives as well as a representative from the Painter’s Training Center.  The committee is chaired by Tamera Yocom of W.E. Given Contracting. The group meets monthly to review the safety record of reporting contractors and discuss issues of concern for workplace safety. There are numerous safety concerns that relate to the challenges of the painting industry including personal protective equipment, ladder and scaffolding safety, exposure to high risk substances, working in confined spaces, environmental protection, and job-site awareness training.

At the end of each year, the SPCO Safety Committee reviews all contractor safety records and awards its annual “Contractor Safety Award.”

After receiving the GOSH award in 2011, the SPCO has continued its ongoing safety programs and its OSHA approved Safety Committee.